The 25 Best Guitar Riffs of All Time

[jbo4guitar]

killing in the name of at 1

[p1nkhouse]

paranoid,immigrant song

[fiyamage]

Avenged Sevenfolds - Almost Easy

[ZRN959]

You Really Got Me. Without that, nothing.

[keyshapedsoul]

This is a beautiful list. I might not agree with the order in some places, but everything that needs to be there is totally there. Kudos.

[ratnaraj2009]

layla

[JKBPP]

Had to mute at 8:08.

[fhgkfhgk]

@JKBPP why?

[JKBPP]

@fhgkfhgk It gives me a headache everytime I hear the riff.

[A1EX31160]

Kashmir, Day Tripper, Vertigo, Purple Haze, Money For Nothing...

[zer01ife]

?killing in the name of?

[1Golden2Bullet3]

@zer01ife yep

[tfosguitar]

ACDC- highway to hell

Thin lizzy - the rocker

Jimi- hendrix- voodoo child

[MrPanchito005]

actually the best one is voodoo chold - jimi hendrix

[funkymcmunky]

why do dicks like you think all great guitar music has to be heavy metal because it fucking doesnt

[thehobbit1116]

Just as I thought there would be no Aerosmith, you put Walk this Way on. Though I don't like that song It's to be expected, but, the Run D.M.C. one? Really?

[akldgd]

That's why Beat It is my favorite Michael Jackson song, because of Eddie<3

[ellpana]

This video is 9:11 seconds long. :/

[323tiim]

8:29 for you that have headsets: Backround noise sounds awesome!

[wazzucougfan88]

At least you got some Jimi, but Voodoo Child is missing!

[NathanNDJ1999]

chuck doud - Syphon Filter 2(psx) Mission 19 and 20 - slums district danger theme 1.09 - 1.36 shouldve been on here

[ikill4joy]

Paradise city buy guns n roses should have been on. And sweet child o mine should have been first instead of that ozzy Osborne shit.

In case you can't tell Im a GnR fanboy lol :)

[pfrancis262]

@ikill4joy Your a fool

[BurtonRider98]

kashmir by led zeppelin?

[surana87s]

Crazy train on no.1 , yes :D \m/

[danelmcamis93]

half of these songs are on guitar hero 3 lmao

[CORNIGAMES]

avenged sevenfold afterlife?!

[MrLion312]

Lol, where is Layla? The coolest riff ever by Eric Clapton!

[sarkimedes]

@MrLion312 ...except that it wasn't Clapton on guitar for that one. It was Duane Allman.

[amritt1989]

happy to see my favourite Jethro Tull made the list,,and yes,the list was good.

[pcbccb]

money for nothing?????

[guitarsforhire1]

:40 thats an excessive guitar

[juulbrie]

Listen to Knife Edge, ELP, it was the flip side from lucky man.... what a rif. Always us it to motivate myself when I want to ride hard on the bike. Try it :)

[wgordon86]

mandatory that "can't stop" by the red hot chili peppers makes this list

[carhead2311]

WHAT DA FUCKKKKKKK. WHERE IS IRON MAN BY BLACK SABBATH

[supermikifano]

somebody forgot Sir Brian May??

where are his riffs?

[MrSheed92]

@supermikifano ie tie your mother down

[Larcth]

Rest in peace to number 6. You have taught me both guitar and drug lessons in life.

[chessinfantry]

@Larcth pfff, get the fuck outta here kid, teen spirit is a stupid song made for teenyboppin schoolkids like yourself, go listen to somemoe nirvana "greatest hits" and act like you know stuff

[Dustyfrab123]

FUCK U

[nromando]

All Along the Watchtower was a Bob Dylan Cover

[akaltaroid]

Its not bad, but the title should be "most famous riffs "

[rader1540]

ok so i have to say this in a nice way, but WTF.......these "riffs" suck! how they hell are you going to make a list of riffs and not put anything by dimebag??!!

[43labontepetty]

how come everyone always puts Purple Haze over Voodoo child.

[JesusInYoBrain]

Wheres no quarter?

[jamirosmajicrocks]

Where The FUCK is Hocus Pocus, That fucking riff is better than all these over fucking rated riffs.

Hocus pocus is one of the best and should at least be in the top 3!

hocus pocus by Focus.

[PaleroPapaya]

What about seven nation army?

[TheJepperen]

@PaleroPapaya

That's a bass...

[dreamydre33]

why is ozzy first there are way better riffs then that

[jaferhassan]

@dreamydre33 :O HOW DARE U

[dreamydre33]

led zeppelin cashmere should be there not black dog

[akaltaroid]

@dreamydre33 kashmir, but I agree too

[dreamydre33]

thin lizzy shouldnt be there neithier should run dmc or beat it

[dreamydre33]

anarchy club get clean it sounds like ur high

[dreamydre33]

holy wars should have been higher

[EvilspeakNL]

I miss:

ZZ Top - she's just killing me

Metalica - wherever I may roam

CKY - 96 quite bitter beings

Rolling Stones - satisfaction

And some songs I forgot right now... ;)

[fukyoo90]

I think bowies rebel rebel is pretty good

[ChocolateAndGuitar]

Led zeppelin

[kwassiemodo]

Deff Leppard looks like a bunch of gays!!

[FilthyPlatypus97]

only thing is that boys are back in town doesn't belong where it is

[fuckjbradj]

why would you show angus for ac dc when malcom plays all the riffs same with metalica

[urrbendi]

Muse - Plug in Baby

[velebr3]

As soon as I saw Sweet child on 2. spot, I knew which song was first. :D

[metznimbo29]

How is the Gay Bar riff not on there?

[Snookfisherman1]

This led me to learn all these riffs

[showerofgore]

This list is based on the opinions of a fourtyfive douchebag on his dieing mothers couch.This is just a bunch of mainstream bullshit if you think this list is the top 25 then you are probably a douchebag too.Have a nice day douchebags.

[yourkillercustomscom]

AWESOME VIDEO!!! Check out my Crazy Train cover. Search for Rhoads ghost and crazy train cover

[ADHDadditiv]

I can almost agree completely with this list, nice job

[MRLUCKYSEVANS]

''96 quite bitter beings'' should be there too, really underrated riff imo

[Truckaholic123]

Micheal Jackson.... are you mentally challenged  ?

[gunsnmg]

@Truckaholic123 He doesnt play the guitar Ed Van Halen do!

[11Thode]

Ozzy Osbourne is AWESOME!

[Videostar1another1fa]

Really varied and nice list.But not having Sabbath on here is sacrilege.Also,Master of Puppets is a cliche pick for Metallica,and not that great of a riff anyway.Jump In The Fire,just to give an example is much lesser known and better.

[bartellius]

Black Sabbath? Stones? Queen?

[wereallalike]

Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel" - Live

otherwise, crazy train is pretty good

[decgar07]

A good list. Songs which maybe should have been included:

Satsfaction-The Rolling Stones

Day Tripper- The Beatles

20th Century Boy- T Rex

Otherwise an excellent list

[kurtsoul1994]

i just log in to like this video coz crazy train riff is crazy as it is \m/

[GloryAndHolySabbath]

R.R<3



[sammyd824]

i would say that smoke on the water is no better than seven nation army so i thought that deserves a mention, also as for famous riffs; day tripper could be on there... but the biggest one missing i think is (i can't get no) satisfaction

others:

eye of the tiger

oye como va

you really got me

[MedzelxD]

Back In Black <3

[dnlwfly]

What happened to money for nothing

[TreSickle]

"lol, clapton's cream"

I laughed so hard. Awesome.

[lardyguts2]

@TreSickle Clapton also known as slow hand!!!, famous for his white room! the man is obsessed!!!

[Stagglespaul]

@Scphuris thanks

[2121westmax]

too many 80's bands

[TheBack933]

may 2 iron man and sweet leaf

[Stagglespaul]

Is it me or did the MJ and van halen guitarists look the same

[scphuris]

@Stagglespaul they're the same person

[futuref22pilot]

@Stagglespaul That's what I was thinking haha

[cesarchivas1991]

wheres the beast an the harlet

[Mr92arnie]

22.....radio X



[Jasonconfused]

Van Halen's pic shouldn't have been there. He only played the solo not the riff.

[jkenney16]

I dont understand why BLACK SABBATH isn't featured on all 25 songs!

[cesarchivas1991]

@jkenney16 childre of the grave for god sake

[maltavmalta]

For every great riff on this list - there are another ten great riffs that have not here.

[Caoshunter23]

Money for nothing should have been on the list

[jessejamespark]

@Caoshunter23 I just heard that song and came here to see if it was on this vid and first comment i see there it is haha wasent the only one that loves that riff

[RetardedxVideo]

dude smoke on the water is like the gayest song in the world, the frst time i heard it i was like "dude this sounds like a 3 year old made it", its so lame and boring sounding.

[iBoardSlide]

Seriously?! Black Dog before Ozzy Osbourne?! WHAT!

[TheLoadedbilly]

no red house?

[0LuckyInternetUser0]

1:23 wtf a black gang?

[MusicHead480]

@0LuckyInternetUser0 black people not allowed to play rock?

[extra51100]

LOL at def leppard!! Not at the song, the damn clothes!!!

BTW these songs are clearly not "The 25 Best Guitar Riffs of All Time"

For starters Guitars have been around for about 900 years. Weve only been able to record in the last 150 years.

Also "All Time" would have to include the next billion years. Which is plenty enough time for smoke on the water to lose it's appeal. :P

[DrinkGirlsARSE]

tropper should have been higher!

[2514054]

Where is whole lotta love?

[TheR3aperOfBlackOps]

8:01 DURR HEY GUYYSSSS!!!!!

[TheEpiix]

there is no Pink Floyd?? Comfortably Numb...

[Grungeguy27]

@TheEpiix the riff isn't wits good its the solo...thats different

[shakakamooroar]

Cowboys from hell?

Paranoid?

Walk?

???

[somesillydude]

SPOILER

1 is nyan cat

[MatthewJLeming]

Should've added twelve Beatles songs. Day Tripper, Paperback Writer, Yesterday...just sayin', they're almost never included in lists like these. Would it be unfair?

[Mongin34]

What about Money for Nothing by Dire Straights that's an epic riff beats smoke on the water by miles

[tictoctictoc07]

Just FYI EVH didn't play the main riff, he just played the solo.

Great list, lots of song I would have never thought of.

[ShalowBrainGuy]

what is with people and stairway to heaven its really not that good

[shobhit359ify]

1. jonny b good 2. purple heze 3. eruption 4. cross road 5. stairway to heaven

6. you really got me 7. smell like teen spirit 8. whole lotta love 9.vodoo child  10. brown sugar

[bertjedeman]

stairway to heaven - led zeppelin?

[50jhou]

@bertjedeman Its 'Best guitar RIFFS of all time' man.. not 'Best SONGS or SOLOS of all time' ;D

[Pazuzeus1313]

Duh.. Mississippi Queen?... Black Betty? And more ... so so list

[SuperCarneseca]

6:00 - if you note, there's a cigarette in eddies guitar

[levradio]

by the way good music

[levradio]

a riff hitlist withour black sabbath :|

[dylld0o]

your title is way off.... slayer is on the list? have you ever heard layla by derek and dominoes? and no black sabbath? what about carry on my wayward son? and sweet child o mine doesnt even have a riff dude listen to some music

[Killbabies1000]

nirvana makes the list but not stevie ray vaugnn? you have no taste what so fucking ever. Fuck you're constructive criticism this shit sucks

[TheAcdcnz]

dude!!! sweet list 

[go8smosh]

Satisfaction is the best riff, period.

[TheBoltflame]

Where was Kashmere (Led Zepellin) and Enter Sandman (Metallica)?

[EmocionMusicaMente]

Sunshine at 17, no way dude!!!

[cellphone96]

if smells like teen spirit is on here, more than a feeling should be

[195jordan]

@cellphone96 dude that song sound fuck all like smells like teen spirit.

[cellphone96]

@195jordan wow learn some grammar. and anyways nirvana said they got the riff for smells like teen spirit from more than a feeling

[195jordan]

@cellphone96 Yeah you learn some grammar to, you should never have a full stop before the word 'and' fuck face..and even though there is a full stop there should be a capital letter after it. Smells Like Teen Spirit is still better in my opinion.

[cellphone96]

@195jordan touche on the grammar but i guess its a matter of opinion I'm not saying smells like teen spirit is a bad song i actually like that song more than more than a feeling all i was saying was that the smells like teen spirit riff was based off more than a feeling just like more than a feeling was based off a riff from the song louie louie by the kings men

[daykiller18]

where the fuck is shine?????

[dculp39231]

PLAY SOME SKYNARD DUDE!!!

[lacerveza1977]

I think its impossible to fit the top 25 riffs into the constraints of the number 25 but good choices, living color though i always loved type the guitar throughout.

[Sodnarok]

I Think

Under the sun - Black Sabbath is best riff

[jurreblaauw]

where fack is soad and WHY THE KINKS ARENT IN THE FAKING TOP 5

[xXLucasXxEminemxX]

where are black sabbath??

tony iommi >> all

[ZeCrossHatch]

Aerials - System of a Down has to be up there! (The one after 2:24 into the song)

[britboi29]

Great ecclectic mix

[13ROBG]

16,15,14,10,9,3,2, and 1 are my fav's i can play them on most instruments i wish they made songs like this now days

[Mite189]

how about the beginning of barracuda, by heart.

[Hvalborg1]

Very nice list !

[steeler79win]

this is actually a really great list!  Sweet Child O Mine is my #1, but liking it that high

[ChiliPeppersAreBoss]

No chili peppers? under the bridge? cant stop?

[Vaerco]

good classification but where are Layla, Whole Lotta Love and Hold The Line?

[ButterWithCheese]

so where is Metallica - enter sandman?

[DruRockerMan]

Iron Man

Paraniod

The Wall

Star me Up

Welcome to the jungle

Dr FeelGood

The Beautifull People

Born to be Wild

;)

[pzq112]

u forgot afraid to shoot strangers ;D

[fendordsi]

i reckon day tripper and purple haze should get a spot

[norgesnus]

Eddie Van Halen didn't make the Beat it-riff.. Only the solo.

[HbMetalBlast]

B.Y.O.B system of a down WTF?!

[xXxPS3smashxXx]

a tout le monde megadeth? ha ill take that win

[reetype]

the zombie riff from "zombie ritual" of chuck schuldiners band "death"

[TheDiamondful]

Black Dog #1.

[KuTuZoVv]

You're all annoying guys... If the 1st place isn't David Gilmour on Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb - Pulse, you really need to learn about guitar Riffs/Solos. Reproduce the video and jump to 4:55 and learn what is a real 1st place. 5 minutes of the best riff ever...

[jnsebas94]

@KuTuZoVv

i respect your opinion but shut up

[SmithyGaming]

Noones ever heard riff raff or gone shootin by AC/DC? much better then back in black and thunderstruck

[florianh1234]

Kashmir - Led Zeppelin

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Iron Man - Black Sabbath

Paranoid - Black Sabbath

Thunderstruck - ACDC

& many more

[anonymous4014]

no iron man!?! u ass hole

[oewm10]

wtf?where is metallica one?

[hippieninja1]

Come on Rolling stones Paint it Black should be in there! and YES CRAZY TRAIN AT NUMBER ON:D Makes my day!

[Silverstrand93]

LENNY KRAVITS. YOU NEED TO RECALIBRATE!!

[Erolsie]

Eddie Van Halen only wrote the solo to 'Beat It', Michael Jackson wrote the main riff himself. Eddie also didn't play the main riff on the album, he just played the solo.

[chokkathunda94]

Fantastic choices, all incredible songs :)

[spoonrocks]

ahem you seem to be forgetting something...(stairway to heaven)

[zacndean]

money for nothing - dire straits? bad song but crazy opening riff !!

[Paladyn1979]

And where the devil did you put SRV, Joe Satriani, The Rolling Stones and J. Beck?

[TheOriginator99]

No Kashmir? :(

[Zoso709]

only 1 zeppelin, no sabbath? Terrible.

[Nick89BR]

idk but ur taste in riffs sux

[Acr3tion]

MONEY FOR NOTHING?!?! you got to be kidding me...

[greekgott]

beat it - best riff, second best is sweet home. But was Really entertaiment

[420Nelbone]

Rock n Roll LED ZEP??????

[widelec76]

Dinosaur Jr. - Said the people and Metallica - the day that neve comes